5 Common Limiting Beliefs That Impact Your Dental Practice Leadership

Since 2020, I’ve partnered with Sonendo to hold a workshop for endodontists looking to enhance their practice’s efficiency and profitability. The workshop centers on best practices in managing an endodontic practice, the importance of having a practice vision, how to integrate technology like the GentleWave and laser for enhanced outcomes, and tips for optimizing workflows and communication in order to free up time and live a more balanced life.

While my workshop is targeted toward endodontists, the topics I cover are applicable to ALL dentists, and giving talks on a regular basis has allowed me to appreciate the needs and frustrations of providers—regardless of specialty—on a deeper level. In particular, it’s helped me understand the limiting beliefs preventing dentists of all kinds from building an efficient and profitable practice that leaves them feeling fulfilled in every way.

Common Limiting Beliefs in Dental Practice Leadership

Let’s talk about what some of these limiting beliefs are, what the truth behind them really is, and how you can embrace a different way of thinking about your dental practice leadership that opens you up to a whole new world of possibilities for your life and career.

Limiting Belief #1: “I can’t hire an associate.”

Hiring an associate is the most straightforward and immediately impactful solution to feeling overworked and overwhelmed at your practice, and yet dental professionals at my workshops and beyond have told me every excuse under the sun as to why it’s not an option for them.

• “I can’t afford it.”
• “It’s hard to trust them.” 
• “That’s one more person to manage.”
• “I can’t find anyone I like.”
• “I tried it and it didn’t work​.”

And the list goes on. While the decision to hire an associate is a personal one, and it might not be the right choice for every practice, there are some very clear consequences to continuing to go it alone when you’re already struggling—such as increased stress, decreased revenue, and poorer patient outcomes, just to name a few.

As scary as hiring an associate may feel, consider what you can gain from having a partner to work alongside you—because in many ways, that’s what they are! Instead of thinking about an associate as just another mouth to feed or a pain in your rear, recognize that they’re actually there to help you. With another dentist to support you, you can share the load, provide better care to patients, and increase the amount of profits coming into the practice.

Plus, when you think about it, you’re giving that dentist a chance to learn from your dental practice leadership and wisdom, and in doing so, you’re creating a legacy. How freaking cool is that?!?

From my vantage point, you have very little to lose—and so much to gain—from turning that “I can’t” into “I will.”

Limiting Belief #2: “Letting go of insurance will tank my practice.”

Oof, this is a big limiting belief in dental practice leadership that I’ve heard at my workshops, and I totally understand why. Most dentists who go on to start their own practice have very little business acumen—and what they do have sure didn’t come from dental school! So, naturally, they operate based on the “common knowledge” that you have to be in-network and often buy into the B.S. that patients will leave the practice if they let go of insurance.

Unfortunately, this misconception leaves dentists trapped in a less-than-ideal situation. For one thing, fee schedules don’t increase with inflation, meaning you end up having to charge less than you’re worth for your services. For another, insurance write-offs often add up to far more than it would cost to simply market your practice on a modest budget.

The good news is that being in-network is not the only option—nor is it the most profitable! You can also choose to operate on a fee-for-service (FFS) model, which is what I transitioned to starting in 2018. In an FFS model, your patients pay you directly and are then reimbursed by their insurance company.

While it may seem radical to suggest something like dropping Delta Dental from your practice (“But Sonia, half of my patients have Delta!”), I can tell you from personal experience that the benefits gained from switching to an FFS model—even partially—will make you forget about your fears entirely. The proof? I now produce more in my practice working 5 days a month than I used to 5 days a week (although the FFS model isn’t the only factor that contributed to that drastic change in efficiency).

Choosing to stay in-network or switch to an FFS model is entirely up to you, and it’s 100% valid to keep things as they are. But making a change will NOT tank your practice—in fact it may even make it more profitable than ever before!

Limiting Belief #3: “Using new technology is more work than it’s worth.”

I know—trying new things is uncomfortable. (Why can’t we face new challenges as easily as we did when we were kids?!?) But when it comes to transforming your practice, this limiting belief is one that simply has to change if you want to transform your dental practice leadership.

There have been incredible advances in endodontic technology over the last decade (like the GentleWave system and dental laser) as well as tools tailored more toward general dentists (Cerec, Itero, etc.), and you’re doing yourself and your patients a disservice by neglecting to at least try to implement them into your practice! Yes, they’re a hefty chunk of change up front, and they will require some training and troubleshooting at first. But there’s absolutely no question that the investment is worth it!

Limiting Belief #4: “Metrics don’t matter—this is a dental practice.”

Man oh man, is this one a kicker. Whenever I get to the part of my workshop that focuses on metrics, I see so many endodontists in the room give me a blank stare. Me? Tracking metrics? At my practice? Why?

Here’s why: Metrics hold the key to transforming your dental practice and leadership!

I know not everyone is a data person—to be honest, I’m not either. But the minute I started paying attention to my practice’s metrics and keeping a closer eye on what was actually going on in the day-to-day, I started identifying so many areas where I was losing money without even realizing it. Even something as simple as tracking the number of missed phone calls can actually make a HUGE difference in the profitability of your practice.

Tracking metrics doesn’t need to be complicated, either. At my practice, for example, we keep a “scorecard” of the most important metrics on a whiteboard for all team members to see. That way, I can easily keep a finger on the pulse of the practice, and everyone is aware of what’s going well, what’s not, and where we should focus our attention at any given time.

Trust me: Tracking your metrics WILL transform your practice—assuming you act on what you find, of course!

Limiting Belief #5: “Raising my fees or charging for consultations will scare patients away.”

This one in particular hurts my heart. I’ve met SO many providers through my workshops that charge far below their worth because they’re afraid that raising their prices or charging for consultations will lose them patients. It’s such a shame, because we dentists do incredible work that we deserve to be compensated for! Plus, when we don’t charge our worth, we can’t reinvest money back into the dental practice or our leadership to become the best providers we can be.

Here’s the thing, guys: Not only do you deserve to charge more, but the changes in price won’t impact your practice the way you think it will.

Just like a mechanic who has perfected their craft over three decades, you’ve gone through years of training and accumulated many hours of experience treating patients. Not only that, but you’re treating people’s teeth for goodness’ sake! Such important work merits a price that reflects that. 

Plus, it’s important to remember what’s actually included in that price tag—not only high-quality service, but often other things of value. For example, at my practice, we offer a one-year follow-up and the guarantee that if there’s an issue with the root canal, we will do our best to fix it at no additional cost to the patient. This guarantee helps me feel good about charging patients what I charge, because I know I’m offering something that not many others provide that will greatly benefit them.

Sure, charging a fair price for your services (and consultations) may lose you a few patients, but they were never going to see value in your work in the first place. The tradeoff, though, is that you’ll earn the money you deserve, attract patients who value and respect you, and be able to reinvest money into your practice that will ultimately enhance patient outcomes. 

It’s time to change your mindset about money and start treating your work as the valuable, heroic service it is: freaking saving teeth!

Develop New Beliefs that Heal Your Practice

Transforming your practice into a place that’s efficient, profitable, and fulfilling starts with changing your mindset. Develop new beliefs and learn strategies to optimize your practice through my practice management and leadership course, Heal Your Practice. Join the waitlist today to ensure you’re first in line when the course becomes available!

– Sonia